The invention relates to a multiple bale opener for a plurality of fiber bale rows arranged side by side and supplied on transport devices, comprising a reduction means moved in a surface of action, the plane of action of the reduction device extending at an angle to the feeding plane of the transport device, as well as to a method for opening a plurality of adjacently supplied rows of fiber bases by reducing the surfaces of the fiber bales in a surface of action at an oblique angle.
Reduction devices of the type mentioned are known in various embodiments. From DE-OS- 29 31 500, a bale opener is known wherein a row of bales is fed horizontally towards an oblique plane of action of a reciprocable reduction means.
A multiple bale opener is known from DE-OS- 37 30 487, wherein a plurality of adjacently arranged rows of bales are supplied on a horizontal transport means towards an oblique plane of action of a reduction device. The reduction device consists of a reciprocable tower having an arm extending transversal to the direction of movement and having a milling device. The arm is height-adjustable and the milling device is inclined corresponding to the plane of action of the reduction device extending oblique to the horizontal feeding plane. When the tower is reciprocated, a synchronous up and down movement of the arm must be provided in order to keep the oblique angle of the plane of action. The tower may be pivoted by 180.degree. in order to be able to alternately reduce another row of bales on a second transport device.
A bale opener is known from German Laid Open No. DE-OS 32 10 602 in which the fiber bales are set in circles on a ground surface. The reduction device, the plane of action of which extends substantially parallel to the ground surface, reduces the circularly arranged fiber bales down to the ground level in a helical manner. It is a drawback of such a bale opener that no new bales can be fed continuously and that the mixture of the fiber flocks is restricted to the number of fiber bales present in the circular surface of action.